All Our Girls What Is A Loader Robbie! - Sunday Supplement

When chart-toppers Toploader were invited to support Robbie Williams on his European tour, guitarist Julian Deane took drastic action. "My girlfriend is obsessed with Robbie" he explains, as we sit in the band's dressing room before another sell-out gig in Berlin. "She was desperate to come to the first show in Hamburg, so I did everything possible to keep them apart. Seriously Robbie's the only man who can threaten our relationship." Luckily, the rest of the band aren't quite so paranoid...

"I rang my girlfriend on my mobile and held it in the air when Robbie sang She's The One", says lead singer Joe Washbourn. Guitarist Dan Hipgrave, who's now engaged to TV presenter Gail Porter, admits he did the same. "Everyone loves Robbie. We've never had so many friends or family wanting to come to one of our gigs!" And the respect is mutual. "Robbie came on stage during our soundcheck in Berlin. We were playing You Keep Me Hanging On by The Supremes, and he said it was wicked" says Joe.

Less than an hour later, the band have completed their support slot in front of 12,000 fans and can't wait to relax backstage. But, surprisingly there are no drugs or groupies in sight - and they happily tuck into cheese and biscuits, washed down with a glass of wine! "It's weird that we keep supporting bands which are on the wagon." laughs Julian, as drummer Rob Green seeks first aid for the bleeding hand he's injured during the set. "Robbie's been going to AA meetings, Paul Weller was off everything - even Bon Jovi were going through a dry stage! It doesn't stop us getting totally trashed, though! adds Joe. "It just feels a bit more civilised!"

A few bottles later - along with lots of German beer - and it's a different story. No one can refuse the offer to go see Irish indie trio JJ72 perform at a nearby drinking den, where we stay until the early hours. "this reminds me of the night we were on tour with Weller, and Joe got so drunk he peed in the restaurant of this hotel," laugh's Dan. "Then he staggered over to Noel gallagher and said 'move over theirs a new oasis in town' in was hilarious!"

Next day, the band arrive in Dusseldorf feeling worse for wear. The eight hour journey aboard their cramped tour bus has left them frustrated and anxious to explore - until Rob gets a call from a mad fan. "She burst into our dressing room the last time we were over here and proceeded to drench herself in water in a wet t-shirt kind of way," explains Rob "She'd called some radio station as a dare and the next thing I knew I was live on air. Then she got my mobile number and kept calling and text messaging me. I thought I'd heard the last of her - until now!"

But despite the female attention, groupies aren't really an option now that the band all have girlfriends. "Groupies are more likely to freak you out than turn you on!" laughs Julian. "I agree" chips in Dan. Not that he'd be interested in anyone else with a gorgeous girlfriend like Gail. the couple are inseparable. "We all have name tags on our bunks, and someone has added Gail and drawn some wedding bells on mine" blushes Dan "I'm taking quite a bit of stick on this tour, but I don't care. I'm really happy and can't believe I have a great girlfriend who loves me. I talk to her everyday - my mobile bill id probably about £700 a month! But she's my best friend and I miss her"

As if on cue, news is phoned through to the band's press officer that Gail is missing him too and has described him as "gorgeous, just perfect and sooo sexy", in a British tabloid that morning. Just what he needed to know as the band take the stage once more for a blistering set, including hit singles Dancing In The Moonlight, Just Hold On and Achilles Heel. But it's their new single, Only for a while (released on April 9), that really gets the crowd swaying.

After the show, everyone is jubilant and bass player matt Knight gets straight on the laptop to tell UK fans how the gig went via their award winning website. Then it's off to a local bar to toast their success, as curly-haired Joe reflects on tonight's fans. "The first few rows were full of pretty girls, but I prefer our Danish fans as they're all leggy blondes," he laughs, "Even the brunettes are like blondes. Wicked!"